


Late nights at the Beastman Co-op

by ThatPeskyAloe



Category: BNA: Brand New Animal (Anime)
Genre: Coffee, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Late Night Conversations, Multi, Pining, Shirous non existent sleep schedule, Slice of Life, Tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:41:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25882246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatPeskyAloe/pseuds/ThatPeskyAloe
Summary: Shirou wakes up late at night in the Co-op. Some post canon slice of life where the Horners are sweet and Pingua has a bad habit of dropping in unannounced.
Relationships: Hiwatashi Nazuna/Kagemori Michiru, Melissa Horner/Gem Horner, Ogami Shirou/Pinga
Comments: 10
Kudos: 139





	Late nights at the Beastman Co-op

Shirou awoke from his nap to find the sky outside dark. Last he'd checked, it was around noon... He'd slept for a while, it seemed. He sat up slowly and rubbed at his eyes, stifling a yawn. He'd sure been tired lately, but then again it was only now he'd had time to relax after everything. 

It was nice to relax and all, but he really had overslept. It was around eleven o'clock at night, which he knew by checking the clock as he stood up, and the Beastman Co-op was quiet. He could faintly hear Michiru snoring upstairs. As he left his own room he caught a whiff of Nazuna's scent as well, ans surmised she must be staying the night again as she had been lately. He didn't envy her one bit, sleeping next to Michiru while she snored like that... He didn't know how she managed it. 

Love finds a way, he supposed. 

He made his way downstairs, treading quietly to not wake anyone else who might be asleep. He could do with eating something. He wasn't hungry per se- he hadn't felt hunger in a long time. It came with the immortality. He didn't need to eat to survive, but it was preferable to feeling empty. He used to forgo it more often, but he'd been eating more recently too. He'd clearly missed dinner, so figured he would fix himself something and then... Maybe go out for a walk? Or maybe go back to sleep until morning. He'd decide once he'd eaten something.

He slipped into the kitchen quietly and flicked on the light, blinking rapidly as he adjusted to the sudden brightness. He noticed a fluorescent sticky note on the microwave and stooped to read it, an eyebrow raised in curiosity. 

> Leftover curry in here for you, Shirou! Try not to miss dinner tomorrow, we're having your favourite
> 
> (Microwave it for 1:30min)
> 
> -Gem

He couldn't help but smile slightly. The Horners were always taking care of him, honestly... He couldn't count the amount of times they'd been there for him, even when they didn't even know him incredibly well. They were friends for certain, but he still hid a great deal from them and they knew it, but didn't force him to tell. Of course they fretted when he came back seemingly hurt, or went out for a long time, but never complained about it. They just seemed to understand that whatever he was keeping from them was something they didn't need to know. He appreciated the fact they were like that. No matter what he did, he could always come back here. 

He removed the note and put turned the microwave up to a minute and a half, then hit start. He got a fork preemptively and watched the number tick down, second by second.

The Horners really were a lovely couple. Michiru and Nazuna were, too... It seemed like the Co-op was just full of happy couples nowadays. He could remember back when Gem and Melissa were just partners in business, running the Co-op and skirting around each other. He hadn't been around much back then, but he'd been invested in watching things unfold between them. Michiru and Nazuna were interesting to watch too, even if things were hard to watch for a while. They were happy now, at least. Full of happy couples.

He wasn't jealous, but he would mind something like that. Maybe.

He stopped the microwave at the one second mark and opened it, the scent of spices hitting him instantly. Gem was a really good cook, that was something he'd learned a long time ago, and he really came to appreciate it now. Leaning against the kitchen counter at five past eleven at night, eating his curry. 

He ate in silence, quietly appreciating Gem's cooking until he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He glanced up to see Melissa coming through the doorway in pyjamas and a moment later she looked up at him, meeting eyes. She startled slightly, making an undignified little noise and putting her hand over her chest. 

"My, you startled me... You're up late, Shirou."

"Mm. Sorry for missing dinner." He replied. "You can wake me up next time."

"Oh, I couldn't." Melissa laughed slightly, walking to the kettle and setting about popping a teabag in a mug she got out. "I was going to, but you were sound asleep. I didn't have the heart."

They stayed in silence for a little while, and Shirou ate more of his curry. Eventually he spoke again. 

"Sorry if I woke you up."

"Oh no, it's fine! I wasn't actually asleep just yet." She gave a sheepish chuckle. "I thought I'd get a hot drink and that might help me sleep."

"What are you drinking?" Shirou asked, peering into her mug. It looked like regular tea to him.

The kettle boiled, and Melissa poured the water into her mug. It didn't have a scent like regular tea, now that he could smell the steam rising from it.

"It's chamomile. It's just great for getting to sleep, you know. It's good! I could make you one, if you like."

Just then, Gem seemingly appeared in the doorway, in pyjamas as well. 

"I wouldn't, Shirou. It tastes weird." He chuckled sleepily. 

Melissa turned to him with a pout, a hand on her hip, clearly not too pleased with the critique on her taste in tea. Shirou opted not to say anything and went to eating some more of his curry. He was just a bystander, after all. 

"Oh shush." She said, frowning at him. "You just don't like any tea."

"Now that's not true! I like one tea." Gem rebutted, coming closer.

"And what's that?"

"A cute-tea, right here." Gem leaned down to kiss her cheek, and it seemed Melissa couldn't keep frowning after that. She batted at him playfully.

"Oh, you! Honestly..." She turned to take the teabag out of her tea, popping it in the bin. She paused a moment. "What are you doing up, actually? I thought you were asleep."

"I was sort of dozing... but I woke up after you got up. I was just wondering where you were."

"Well, I'm right here." Melissa picked up her mug, intending to take her tea to bed with her it seemed. "Let's go back... Goodnight, Shirou!"

Shirou nodded in response. Gem seemed to have not noticed Shirou in the first place, looking a little surprised when he looked up at him but giving a polite little wave goodnight as he followed Melissa out of kitchen, and they left to go back to bed and took the floral scent of chamomile with them. That left Shirou alone in the kitchen once again, to finish his curry. 

He would say he wasn't jealous, but playing bystander to sweet moments like that made him feel that way just a little. He'd be fine without it, but having someone wouldn't be so bad, really. If only for a little while, in the grand scheme of things. 

He could think more deeply on it another time. For the moment, he finished the last few bites of his curry and put his bowl in the sink, filling it with water so the sauce wouldn't stick to it and flicking the kitchen light off on his way out. He felt like going back to sleep, even though he'd only woken up maybe ten minute ago. For the moment, he could afford to be a little lazy like this. 

He slinked back upstairs and was about to quietly return to his room when he heard telltale wings flapping, the sound of someone, a bird beastman, landing softly on the roof. He only knew of one that would arrive at such an awkward hour... An albatross with a knack for trouble. One who was upbeat and kind when it came down to it, but strong. Someone... He liked. Maybe. He wasn't sure, maybe he was just feeling sappy at the moment, but either way, he felt an urge to go up to the roof and meet him. Maybe he'd be staying up a little longer. He went upstairs, quietly still, and opened the door out to the roof.

His suspicions were correct, it seemed. There were a few stray white feathers on the roof, and Pingua was standing there as well. Windswept and tired, he shed his goggles and hat before looking over to Shirou and smiling warmly. 

"It's been a while." He said a little too loud. Shirou put a finger to his lips and he came closer so he didn't need to raise his voice. "Apologies, I know, it's late. But I happened to be in the area, and thought I might drop in."

Shirou didn't say anything just yet, tugging his sleeve to pull him through the doorway so he could close the door and stop the draft from getting in. Pingua looked at him, seemingly waiting for an answer. 

"Everyone else is alseep." He said finally. "Come in, but be quiet."

Pingua smiled at him again, and followed him quietly downstairs. Finding himself back in the kitchen again, Shirou turned to him. 

"Do you want a drink?" He offered.

"That'd be kind of you. It's pretty cold out there so late."

"What do you want?" 

"Hm... Do you have decaf?"

Shirou nodded. 

"Coffee then, if that's fine." 

Shirou let him sit down on the couch, and went to make the coffee he asked for. Usually Melissa would go all hostess-y when people came by, but given the late hour, Shirou would have to do. He remembered roughly how he took his coffee from the previous times he'd visited, and set about making one. 

Milk, two sugars. Shirou took his own coffee black with one sugar, and he vaugely wondered if Pingua remembered how he took his coffee as well. But it didn't matter, really. He remembered things like that about people close to him. 

People close to him... 

He shook his head and finished making the coffee. Thinking like that was no use right now- he refused to start any useless pining at quarter past eleven at night. Or any time. He did _not_ pine. He brought the coffee through to Pingua, who took it from his hands gratefully. 

They sat and they talked, less than a meter apart in hushed voices to avoid waking anyone else. Talked about anything, from Pingua's travels to recent events in Anima City. Things closer to home, like the pun Gem made earlier. Just talking in easy company, unt at some point, the conversation petered off and Pingua went quiet. It took Shirou a moment to realise he must have nodded off, sleeping sitting up next to him on the couch. 

Shirou put the empty mug through, and realized he couldn't just leave him asleep on the couch downstairs. He hesitated but picked Pingua up carefully in his arms, not wanting to wake him, intending to put him on the couch up in his office. But as he walked up the stairs, he thought that Pingua had to be exhausted, falling asleep like that after a long flight.

He ended up taking him to his room. He slept more on the couch in his office anyway, it didn't matter if Pingua used his bed for the night. He laid him down on the bed and took his boots off for him carefully, even if he doubted anything would wake him now. When he was (hopefully) comfortably put to bed, he took a step back. Pingua was sound asleep. 

...in his bed. 

He shook his head again, leaving the room perhaps a moment too fast. Maybe he did need more sleep, even if he'd slept a long time already. He soon found himself lying on the couch in his office, not sleeping, but just staring at the ceiling. Trying to get the image of Pingua's peaceful face out of his head. 

Kuro landed on the back of the couch, making an inquisitive chirp noise. Shirou threw an arm over his eyes. 

Maybe he was pining. Just a little. 

**Author's Note:**

> I originally wrote this just for that cute moment with the Horners but it turned into a lil bit of Pingua/Shirou at the end lmao. I guess I'm weak for that


End file.
